Al-Hadid (The Iron): (23) So that you may not grieve...

There are several issues concerning this verse:

Issue 1: The Meaning of the Lam (لِـ) of Causality

This lām (لِـ) indicates that the preceding statement is the cause of what follows. For example, in "I stood up so that I might strike you," the standing is the cause of the striking. Similarly here, God Almighty explained that informing people that these matters (calamities and blessings) have occurred by Divine Decree and Predestination (Qadā’ and Qadar), and are recorded in the unchangeable Book, necessitates that a person should not grieve intensely over what has passed, nor rejoice excessively over what has not occurred.

This is the meaning behind the Prophet's saying: "Whoever knows the secret of God concerning destiny, calamities become easy for him."

The detailed explanation, according to the Sunni doctrine, is that the occurrence of everything that happens is wājib (necessary), and the non-occurrence of everything that has not happened is also wājib. This is due to four reasons:

1. Knowledge: God Almighty knew of its occurrence; if it did not occur, His knowledge would turn into ignorance.
2. Will (Irādah): God willed its occurrence; if it did not occur, His Will would turn into mere longing (tamannī).
3. Power (Qudrah): God's Power was attached to bringing it into existence; if it did not occur, that Power would turn into impotence (ʿajz).
4. Speech: God decreed its occurrence through His Word, which is truth; if it did not occur, that true report would turn into a lie.

Therefore, if what has occurred had not occurred, these four Attributes (Knowledge, Will, Power, Speech) would have changed from perfection to deficiency, and from eternity (qidam) to contingency (ḥudūth). Since this change is impossible, we know that there is no repelling force against that occurrence. Consequently, distress and sorrow vanish when these realizations dawn, and tribulations and calamities become easy to bear.

As for the Mu'tazilah, even if they dispute concerning Power and Will, they agree regarding Knowledge and Speech. If compulsion (jabr) is necessitated by these two Attributes (Knowledge and Speech), what difference is there if compulsion is necessitated by all four Attributes?

As for the Philosophers, compulsion is their doctrine. They link the emergence of human actions to mental conceptions and animal imaginations, and then link those conceptions and imaginations to the celestial cycles (adwār falakiyyah) which follow predetermined paths, making deviation impossible.

As for the Materialists (Dahriyyah) who deny any effective causes, they must necessarily assert that the emergence of events is accidental (ittifāqī). If it is accidental, it is not volitional (ikhtiyārī), thus compulsion becomes necessary.

It is clear, therefore, that no rational school of thought can escape this conclusion, whether they explicitly affirm it or deny it. This explains the basis upon which the Ahl al-Sunnah derive their argument from this verse.

The Mu'tazilah argued that the verse indicates the correctness of their doctrine regarding human agency being established and chosen, based on several points:

1. The purpose of the notification: The phrase, "so that you may not grieve over what you have missed," indicates that God informed them of these calamities being established in the Book precisely so they would avoid grief and joy. If they were not capable of those actions (grieving/rejoicing), this lām (of purpose) would be meaningless.
2. God's aversion to grief: This verse shows that God does not desire grief and joy from them, contradicting the Jabriyyah who claim God wills all of that from them.
3. Disapproval of boasting: God follows this by saying, "And God loves not any conceited boaster." This indicates that God does not will such boasting, contradicting the Jabriyyah who claim everything that occurs is willed by God.
4. Purposeful Divine Action: God attached the lām of causation to His action ("so that you may not..."), indicating that God's actions are purposeful (muʿallalah bi-gharad).

I say: A rational person is greatly astonished at how these verses relate to compulsion and free will, and how both parties rely heavily on them.

Issue 2: The Reading of "Ātākum" (آتَاكُم)

Abu Ali al-Fārisī stated that Abu 'Amr recited ءَاتَاكُم (with a short alif, ātākum) while the rest recited it elongated (آتَاكُم).

Argument for Abu 'Amr's short reading (ءَاتَاكُم): This reading corresponds to فَاتَكُمْ (fātakum). Just as the verb in فَاتَكُمْ refers to the absent third person (the thing that passed you by), the verb in ءَاتَاكُم should refer to the present second person (what was given to you). The pronoun referring back to the relative pronoun (al-mawsūl) in both words is the subject (fāʿil).

Argument for the elongated reading (آتَاكُم): When elongated, it is attributed to God Almighty, who is the Giver. The subject of the verb آتَاكُم is a pronoun referring back to the name of God, may He be exalted, and the hā’ (pronoun suffix) is omitted from the relative clause, meaning: "that which He gave to you" (بِمَا آتَاكُمُوهُ).

Issue 3: The Scope of Negation of Grief and Joy

Al-Mubarrid said that the intent of the phrase, "so that you may not grieve over what you have missed, nor rejoice in what He has given you," is not the absolute negation of grief and joy. Rather, it means: Do not grieve a grief that leads you to destroy yourselves, nor boast about the reward for what was taken from you. And do not rejoice a joy that leads you to arrogance and insolence.

The evidence for this is God's subsequent statement: "And God loves not any conceited boaster." This indicates that the joy being condemned is the one in which the person becomes arrogant and insolent. Joy in God's blessings and giving thanks for them is not condemned.

This aligns with what 'Ikrimah narrated from Ibn 'Abbās, who said: "There is no one who does not rejoice and grieve, but make patience your response to affliction and gratitude your response to blessings."

The Judge (al-Qāḍī) used this verse as evidence that God does not will the actions of His servants. The response from many of our scholars is that they differentiate between Maḥabbah (Love) and Irādah (Will). Love is a specific type of will—the will for reward. Therefore, the negation of this specific will does not necessitate the negation of the absolute Will.

Then God Almighty said: